


Secrets on Aisle Nine

by CoreyWW



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Banter, Day Off, Drama, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Family Secrets, Funny, Gen, Grocery Shopping, Humor, Light Angst, One Shot, Police, Secrets, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-09 07:36:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18633715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoreyWW/pseuds/CoreyWW
Summary: "In the back of her mind, she was thinking about certain ... things she had learned in the course of the current case she was working on.But she tried her best to push that out of her head. That didn’t matter now.She was off duty."[Post-game. Molly goes shopping at the Ham Panther on her off day and speaks to Stan, thinking aboutabsolutely nothing seriousin the back of her mind.]





	Secrets on Aisle Nine

_The one day I get off duty and I have to spend it running errands_ , Molly thought as she put canned vegetables in her basket at the Ham Panther. _Because of course._

She looked down at her basket.

_I should probably learn to cook at some point,_ Molly thought. Candy seems to think I’d enjoy it. _She’s probably right. Personally though I think I’d also enjoy coming home at night and not having to cook stuff before I can pass out._

In the back of her mind, she was thinking about certain ... _things_ she had learned in the course of the current case she was working on.

But she tried her best to push that out of her head. That didn’t matter now.

She was off duty.

_... I should at least attempt to bake a chicken_ , Molly thought. _Feel like a normal adult instead of eating canned green beans from a can like I’m in a goddamn zombie apocalypse._

She pushed her basket towards the Deli counter. To her bemusement, Stan was working there. Stan always seemed nice enough. Molly remembered freaking hating him when he and Candy first went out; in fact, at one point, Molly handcuffed him to his steering wheel when she was still a dumb kid going to the academy. (Candy wasn’t happy when she found out, not seeing the humor Molly saw in it at the time.) But he really was a good guy, especially after he quit drinking.

Stan noticed her walking up and smiled.

“Hey Molly,” Stan said.

Molly nodded.

“Stan,” she said.

“Weird to see you out of uniform.”

“I’m undercover,” she said flatly. “I snuck in to arrest you and bust up this whole crooked operation.”

“ _Oh no_ ,” Stan replied, deadpan.

“Yeah.... but first I need some chicken breasts.”

Stan chuckled.

“Sure.” Stan walked into the back. He yelled back. “I didn’t know you knew how to cook.”

“Of course I do.” Molly rolled her eyes. “Working six days a week offers me a lot of time to be a gourmet, after all.”

“Candy and I could help teach you when you get off work.”

“Okay, tomorrow when I get off at three in the morning, I’ll be sure to call Candy.”

“You know if you did, she’d still get up to do it.”

Molly considered.

“Yeah ... she would.”

Stan returned, placing a wrapped up pack of chicken breasts on the counter.

“There we go,” he said. “Am I still under arrest?”

“Nah,” Molly said. “You are married to my sister, so I’ll just pin it all on some drifter instead.”

“Ah, well that’s mighty kind, thank you.”

“Heh.” Molly glanced up at the faintly humming fluorescent lights. “So ... how are things?”

“Oh you know. _Work_.”

“Yeaaah, I know.” She cleared her throat, letting the slightest hint of shakiness leave her voice. “And ... Mae?”

Stan hesitated for a moment.

“Oh ... she’s doing better. She talked to Candy and I about some ... stuff ... recently.”

Molly raised an eyebrow. Her heartbeat quickened.

“Anything I should ... know about?”

“I, eh ...” She couldn’t see his eyes through those thick glasses, but she just knew Stan was looking away. “Well ... that’s probably the kinda thing Candy should be telling you.”

“... she’s not doing anything I’ll have to arrest her for, right?”

“What? No. No. Nothing like that.” He paused. “That I know of.”

“... that you _know_ of.... alright.” _Yep, sounds about right,_ Molly thought. “But ... she’s alright, right?”

“She’s ... better.”

“Ah.” Molly relaxed her shoulders, not even aware they had been tense. “Good. Great.” She felt Stan staring at her. She narrowed her eyes back. “ _What_?”

“Well.” Stan cleared his throat. “You know ... she really _hasn’t_ done anything you’d have to arrest her for, right? Like ...” He shrugged. “I mean ... _you_ don’t know about anything _I_ should, right?”

Molly kept her composure. Police training helped with that.  
  
“... everything’s fine, Stan,” she said. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

“ _Really_?” His voice took on an edge.

“Really.” She kept any tone out of her voice. “If there was anything I’d need to let you know ... I’d let you know.”

“... alright.” He relaxed. “I believe you.”

“ _Good_.” Molly tried not to feel like garbage about that. She picked up the pack of chicken. “Well ... I’m gonna go burn some chicken.”

“Right ... okay.”

“Tell Candy I said hi.”

“I will,” he nodded.

Trying not to appear in a hurry, she placed the chicken in her basket and headed for the checkout, trying not to think about the case.

The disappearances.

The _mine_.

_... it didn’t matter_ , she told herself. From what she’d found in the course of her investigation, it was just a bunch of particularly awful, deluded people who met with an _unfortunate_ accident. There was nothing to suggest anything else to be concerned about. No evidence to suggest anyone else she knew would be involved.

Just ... suspicions.

But no evidence.

No evidence.

Nothing to worry about.

_... I’m going to go cook chicken_ , Molly told herself pulling into checkout, forcing her expression to remain neutral. _I’m gonna cook. And everything will be fine._

_Everything is fine._


End file.
